Plan Your Perfect Trip to Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam

Lan Ha Bay: Halong Bay's Quieter Neighbour

The boat slows, and the first thing you notice is how green everything is, limestone islands here wearing a thick coat of jungle that Halong Bay's bare grey towers mostly lack. Cross the invisible boundary south of Halong Bay and the atmosphere changes almost immediately, quieter anchorages, fewer boats, floating fishing villages carrying on a way of life that stretches back generations.

Lan Ha Bay belongs to the Cat Ba Archipelago, protected as part of the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, its name suggesting an orchid come down to earth. Nearly 400 limestone islands rise from the water here, packed closer together than in Halong Bay, close enough that you can watch their shapes shift as the boat glides past. In September 2023, Cat Ba Archipelago and Halong Bay were jointly inscribed as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, decades after Halong Bay's own listing.

One difference shows up almost immediately: swimming. Halong Bay restricts it to a handful of licensed beaches, but here you can jump straight off the boat wherever you like, water clear enough to see your feet several metres down. Ba Trai Dao is the beach everyone asks for, three small peaks rising behind a curve of white sand, though the tide only uncovers it for two or three hours a day, so timing matters.

Paddle a kayak into a hidden lagoon where the cliffs block out the rest of the world, or head for Viet Hai, a small fishing village folded into the national park forest, best explored by bicycle along a quiet dirt track. Lan Ha rewards those who do very little: watching fishermen tend oyster farms as the afternoon light softens on the limestone, or drifting past deep enough into the bay that no other boat is visible.

Many cruises marketed simply as "Halong Bay cruises" now spend much of their route here rather than in Halong Bay itself, worth checking before you book if Lan Ha's quieter waters are what you're after.

Best for: couples, photographers, and travellers who want the same karst scenery with fewer crowds.

Best time to go: October to April for cooler, drier weather. May to September brings warmer temperatures and occasional tropical showers.

Getting there: cruises depart from Tuan Chau or Sun Wharf near Ha Long City, or from Cat Ba Island via Ben Beo or Gia Luan wharf. From Hanoi, it's about 90 minutes to Cat Ba's wharves via the Hanoi-Hai Phong expressway, faster than the drive to Halong City.

Good to know: most visitors explore on a 2-day, 1-night cruise, though 3 days allows more time in the bay's quieter corners. Swimming is permitted throughout most of Lan Ha, but beach access still depends on tides, particularly at Ba Trai Dao.

Speak to one of our Vietnam specialists to include Lan Ha Bay in a tailor-made journey through northern Vietnam.